Cristina Dourado told Lusa that they are currently renegotiating or working on rebalancing the concession, but they still do not have any news to give, adding that she still hopes that the contract could be renewed.

Dourado was speaking at the Pragal station in Almada, in the district of Setúbal, where the company celebrated its 20th anniversary on 29 July, announcing a new advertising campaign and a new timetable to meet demand.

"The new challenges for Fertagus are fundamental to define what the future will be and how long we can stay here, how demand will evolve and how demand will adapt to the supply we have," Dourado said.

She did not what the current situation was regarding the negotiations with the government, but everything indicates that the path is positive, because the company continues to work to find solutions that can increase the capacity of trains, which may even involve the introduction of more carriages.

The need for more supply is due, above all, to the new Navegante travel pass, which led to a 20% increase in demand in May, Dourado said.

One of the short-term solutions to give Fertagus more capacity was the withdrawal of some seats in carriages.

Pedro Siza Vieira, deputy minister of economy, was present at the celebration, not only as a member of the government, congratulating the company for the innovative experience it was and for the success it continues to be, but also from a personal point of view.

According to the company, which operates the rail link between Setúbal and Lisbon in 57 minutes, 83,000 passengers are transported daily, with a punctuality rate above 94%. In 2018 alone, 21 million users were transported, Fertagus said.